Customization tool for people with special needs

Abstract

There are people with limited skills due to different causes like post-surgical situation as an example. These people are considered people with special needs (PSN). Large number of persons has pain in his body because the contact with support surfaces for long time. This paper aims to design and implement one tool to help design and manufacture customized devices in order to reduce the pain. UCD (user-centered design) methodology in combination with psychophysical user data generates a 3D geometry that can be produced in a rapid manufacturing environment. One tool is developed in Labview composed by three modules; a) import and treatment of psychophysical data, b) data analysis and reconfiguration into new geometries, and c) build point cloud data that considers materials deflection which can be used by CAD systems for rapid manufacturing. The result obtained after utilizing the tool is a product capable of reducing/delaying the onset of pressure ulcers.. by Siemens that involves the 3D scan of a mold of the hearing cavity for, from the CAD treatment, allowing the construction of a more discreet prosthesis adapted and customized for the user. Or even the exercise done by students who developed a pair of sunglasses based on the 3D scan of their face, contributing to an approach that explores more the emotional relations based in aesthetic factors (Killi, S. 2007). These cases were the starting point for thinking about design methodologies, not based in what users express, but if possible, in their emotions, enabling solutions where the probability of the products being developed would be more certain both in terms of acceptance as in terms of solving the individual needs of each user. 2 PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS PRESSURE ULCERS People having limitations in their motor skills, either consciously or unconsciously, are defined as people with special needs (PSN). This group also comprehends people who have post-surgical situations. A significant number of these persons experience problems concerning the contact of body areas with support surfaces. Due to their lack of capacity for autonomous movements, these persons are subjected to excessive skin pressure and restricted blood circulation, resulting in the development of pressure ul-